Kiwi sculler George Bridgewater had a low-key return to international rowing at the weekend.

The former world champion, who recently announced his intention to push for a place in the New Zealand team for the 2016 Olympics, was third in the C final of the men's single sculls at the Holland Beker regatta in Amsterdam.

The Singapore-based 31-year-old was fourth in his opening heat in 7 minutes 33.62 seconds, forcing him into a repechage.

He improved his time in that race to 7:07.07 over the 2000m before finishing third in the C final in 7:08.22.

Bridgewater said that before the event his expectations had been low, as he was still training only part-time.

The men's single sculls Holland Cup title went to Dutch star Roel Braas, while Australia's Kim Crow captured the women's single sculls title.

Bridgewater won gold in the men's pair at the 2005 world champs with Nathan Twaddle and bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the same boat before hanging up the oars.

He then studied at Oxford and graduated with an MBA before working for Morgan Stanley in Singapore, but decided in May to have another crack at the Olympics.

He plans to return to Cambridge in August to seek a place in Rowing New Zealand's high performance programme.

Bridgewater will also compete at this week's Henley Regatta along with fellow Kiwi Mahe Drysdale.

The two New Zealanders will contest The Diamond Challenge Sculls men's single scull event, which Drysdale has won three times.

Braas will also be competing, along with Britain's leading men's single sculler, Alan Campbell.

Drysdale made an immediate impact in his first international regatta of the year when he won gold in the second World Cup event of June 2-14 in Aiguebelette, France, heading off arch-rival Ondrej Synek.